Dairy Products: From Moo To You

[Music] [Music] we all have our favorite foods some of us like ordinary foods while others prefer the unusual I think I'll take the boiled optimist but there's one kind of food almost everyone likes and needs dairy products milk and the foods that come from milk milk has been called nature's most nearly perfect food it contains proteins carbohydrates fats vitamins and minerals all the food elements both youngsters and adults need for good health and growth dairy products including milk cream butter cheese and ice cream make up one of the basic food groups which nutritionists say should be included in everyone's daily diet each of us consumes an average of 560 pounds of dairy products each year about half as fluid milk and the other half is processed dairy products let's learn more about these basic and important foods [Music] this is where all dairy products begin the dairy farm it can be a small one-man operation or a large commercial farm having five hundred or more dairy cows some dairying goes on in every state Wisconsin is the nation's Dairy land boasting one million eight hundred thousand cows producing over eighteen billion pounds of milk annually other leading dairy states are Iowa Michigan Minnesota and Ohio which are also in the north-central region new york and pennsylvania in the east california in the west and texas in the south there are six major breeds of dairy cattle kept by american farmers they are Holstein Friesian Jersey Guernsey air sure Brown Swiss and the milking short loin farmers usually keep the breed that's best suited to market conditions in their areas these Holstein Friesian cows produce the most milk of any breed averaging 48 pounds or 48 pints per day with a daily high of over 100 pounds dairy cows aren't the only source of milk and milk products in various other countries the milk of goats sheep reindeer water buffalo or even camels is used as food but in this country the dairy cow is the chief source of milk Darrien could be described as a business in which the farmer and his cows work as partners by an unwritten agreement the farmer gives each cow lots of tender loving care and at least two square meals per day in return the cow changes some of the food she consumes into milk which she gives to the farmer twice a day well she may not actually give the milk but at least she lets him take it on most dairy farms automatic milking machines now do the job that was once done by the farmers cold hands [Music] the milk is pumped from the cow to a tank where it is quickly cooled and stored after each milking all equipment is washed and sterilized this kills germs which could contaminate the milk or cause sickness among the dairy herd local health officials frequently inspect dairies to make sure that milk is produced under proper conditions and that sanitary regulations are followed farmers usually sell their milk to a dairy plant in a nearby city once a day a tank truck picks up the milk and transports it to the dairy plant here the milk will be processed and packaged or used to make other dairy products some dairy plants can process up to 80,000 gallons of milk per day after the milk has been pumped into a receiving tank samples are tested for quality and purity if the milk is acceptable its then tested and passed through a machine called a clarifier the clarifier removes any foreign material from the milk next the milk is pasteurized in the pasteurizer it is heated to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius for at least 15 seconds pasteurization destroys any harmful bacteria in the milk and helps it to keep fresh longer next comes the homogenizer this device exerts great pressure on the milk to force it through tiny openings the purpose is to break down and evenly distribute the fat globules in the milk so they won't rise to the top as cream after being cooled the milk is sealed in sterile containers and soon thereafter delivered to the supermarket you've probably noticed there are other kinds of milk in the dairy case 2% low-fat milk is made by removing part of the fat from whole milk skim milk is made by removing all of the fat from whole milk cultured buttermilk is a fermented milk product produced by adding certain kinds of bacteria to skim milk and allowing it to incubate evaporated milk is simply whole milk with some of the water removed nonfat dry milk is made by taking practically all the water out of skim milk this is called dehydration in one of its many forms milk serves as an important ingredient in a wide variety of the foods we eat in addition certain substances found in milk are used in the manufacture of many other products casein the principal protein in milk is used in making glue water-soluble paints and plastics lactose or milk sugar is used in special diets and serves as an ingredient in various medicines and drugs like milk butter is another important dairy product and one which has been used since ancient times some ancient peoples even used butter as a hair dressing a few farm families still make their own butter by churning the cream which rises to the top of whole milk elbow grease is an important ingredient in homemade butter as you can see [Music] to make large amounts of butter in a dairy plant a different method is used instead of churning one batch at a time this machinery makes butter by a continuous process first this machine separates cream from milk by centrifugal force then after being pasteurized the cream is pumped through this churn which causes the cream to break down into butter fat and skim milk salt water is added to the liquid butter fat as it's pumped into the chiller here the mixture is cooled and worked until it becomes butter then when it reaches the proper texture and consistency the butter is forced from the chiller cut into the familiar shape and packaged [Music] like butter ice cream is also made by continuous process first a mixture of pasteurized cream sweetened evaporated milk sugar and stabilizer is prepared in a large vat then this mixture is pumped into a machine called a continuous freezer inside blades whip air into the mixture as it freezes air is actually an important ingredient giving the ice cream a smoother texture and better flavor additional flavorings such as fruits and nuts may be added [Music] finally machines package the ice cream [Music] cheese is another important and nutritious dairy product cheese provides protein vitamin A calcium and phosphorus although there are hundreds of kinds of cheeses available in different sizes shapes and brands there are actually only 18 distinct types or varieties [Music] these are classified according to their flavour mild medium and sharp and texture soft medium or hard most cheese is ripened that is bacteria or various molds are used in the cheese making process Swiss cheese for example requires three different types of bacteria to start fermentation reduce the holes and give it its distinctive flavor cheddar including one type called American cheese is one of the most popular in this country it's produced by a typical process a large VAT is filled with fresh pasteurized milk it takes about 11 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese first lactic acid bacteria is added to the milk this separates the solid part of the milk called the curd from the liquid part called whey a colouring agent is added at this time soon the milk begins to ripen then a curdling agent is added this substance called rennet causes the curd to matte together after the curd is cut into cubes it's heated and stirred for about an hour after the way has been drained out the curd is cut into slabs and allowed to drain later a milling machine cuts the curd into cubes which are then salted packed into moulds and placed in a press to expel additional way next the cheese is placed in a vacuum chamber overnight to remove bubbles then it's put in a special curing room where it will remain from 60 days to two years the longer the cheese is cured the sharper the flavor it will have cheese of all kinds is a popular and nourishing food by itself or has an ingredient in many flavorful foods and snacks yes dairy products in their many forms are among our most versatile healthful and delicious foods [Music]